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Idaho veterinarians are raising concerns about the increasing number of unlicensed people who conduct procedures on horses and other animals, including equine dentistry. The Idaho Board of Veterinary Medicine has addressed the issue through public service announcements that urge animal owners to employ qualified veterinarians. In Oklahoma, AVMA opposed a law that was passed this year that allows unlicensed individuals who have completed 80 hours of training to work on the teeth of horses.

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The Bureau of Land Management is attributing the deaths of 11 wild horses at the Salt Lake Regional Wild Horse & Burro Facility in Utah to an outbreak of equine distemper -- also known as strangles. The highly contagious disease marked by lethargy, fever, lack of appetite and swelling of the lymph nodes in the throat region. The agency is collaborating with the state's veterinarian to prevent further spread of the respiratory disease, which is commonly found in horses.

Scientists at the University of California, Los Angeles, have developed a lens-free microscope that can generate 20 images within 10 seconds. The portable device could allow veterinarians to easily measure sperm counts in bulls and other stock animals, according to the university.

Animal care requires the right formula to assure that pets will get the right amount of food, exercise and health care, veterinarians say. In this article, they warn owners against treating pets like people by giving too much food to show love, letting animals laze around all day and ignoring the health needs of their pets.

Farm veterinarians are absent in at least 1,300 counties in the U.S., according to the AVMA, and experts say that number will continue to increase as many graduates find small-animal practice more attractive. "The demand and need for services is critical," said Gina Luke, assistant director in the government relations division of the AVMA. To help solve the problem in California, one university offers an admissions advantage to those interested in farm-animal practice, while some legislators are pushing bills to recruit farm-animal veterinarians.

Maximizing milk production from a dairy herd may be as simple as putting yourself in the cow's place to understand their needs, says veterinarian turned "cow whisperer" Karen Lancaster. "When the cows are happy, we know they eat more, when they eat more they make more milk," said Lancaster, who urges farmers to offer lighter, cleaner surroundings and to take steps to stop bullying within the herd.